The Last Transmission

Prologue: The Distress Call

When the Coast Guard picked up a mayday signal from the SS Vengeance—a cargo ship lost at sea in 1983—they assumed it was a hoax. Until they heard the voice.

MAYDAY TRANSCRIPT (09/14/2023 03:17 AM):
"[static]...this is Captain Elias Grayson of the SS Vengeance... [static]...we are taking on water... [static]...they're in the walls now... [static]...God help us, they learned how to scream..."

The coordinates led to an empty patch of ocean where no wreckage had ever been found. But when the rescue ship arrived, they found the Vengeance floating perfectly intact—its hull pristine, its decks empty, and its radio still transmitting.

            "The first boarding party reported hearing footsteps below deck. When they opened the cargo hold, they found the ship's log from 1983—with entries dated yesterday. The final page read: 'They don't need the ship anymore. They just need new voices for the radio.'"
        

Chapter 1: The Boarding

Coast Guard Lieutenant Mara Kovács led the investigation. Her helmet cam footage showed the ship's interior—spotless, with fresh coffee steaming in the mess hall. The crew's personal effects were neatly arranged, as if they'd just stepped away.

HELMET CAM TRANSCRIPT (09/14/2023 04:33 AM):
"Kovács: There's no rust. No barnacles. This ship hasn't been in the water for forty years.
[sound of metal creaking]
"Unknown Voice (whispering): You're early. The drowning isn't until sunrise."

The engine room was worse. The machinery was covered in a thick, black sludge that moved against gravity. When touched, it formed shapes—human faces with mouths stretched in silent screams.

            "The ship's manifest listed 32 crew members. Kovács' team found 33 life jackets in perfect condition—all labeled with names, including theirs. The extra jacket simply read: 'PASSENGER.'"
        

Chapter 2: The Transmission

When the team tried to leave, the ship's PA system crackled to life. A chorus of voices recited the names of every rescuer aboard—followed by dates: tomorrow's date.

AUDIO ANALYSIS REPORT:
"Voices match SS Vengeance crew manifests from 1983. However, spectral analysis shows impossible vocal patterns—human speech frequencies mixed with deep-sea pressure waves. As if the speakers were... underwater."

Kovács' last transmission was the most disturbing:

            "KOVÁCS (radio): They're not ghosts. They're something that learned to be ghosts. The ship's just a—[static]—oh God, the walls are breathing—[static]—tell my family I love—[sound of rushing water, then a voice that isn't Kovács]: We'll tell them ourselves."
        

Epilogue: Still Signaling

The SS Vengeance vanished again at sunrise. No wreckage was found. No bodies recovered.

But every year on September 14th, at 3:17 AM, the mayday signal repeats. Each time, the voices sound more like the missing rescuers. Last year's transmission included Kovács' voice calmly reciting the names of next year's Coast Guard roster.

            "The Navy has quarantined the coordinates. Satellite images sometimes show a ship-shaped shadow beneath the waves—facing upward, as if waiting to surface. Sonar detects faint knocking sounds from below. Morse code for: 'Let us in.'"
        